Do you remember the film Inside Out?
Where a little girl is growing up and in the process her emotions go from being one colour and single-faceted (joy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust), to multi-faceted, with a place, memory or moment now tainted with many other seemingly conflicting emotions that in fact intertwine and inter-connect together. (I highly recommend, even if you don’t have children!)
This is how I feel now about Boston. Boston was always a city of intense joy for me in my 20s and 30s. ✨ It’s where I came to meet the UNGPs team for the first time. It’s where I was part of the most stimulating and exciting conversations ever on shaping the UNGPs. It’s where I came for the first workshops on the topic of business and human rights post-UNGPs endorsement with Shift. And who doesn’t love hanging out around Harvard; the book shops and the cafes and imagining oneself a student again. 👩🎓
And now that I’m back, in my 40s, the emotions attached to Boston feel very different. The last time I was here was John Ruggie’s memorial following his death in September 2021. The joy and lightness of Boston has gone forever and in its place is another feeling - a heavier one. The joy is still there, but melded with sadness and nostalgia. After that memorial, I had one of the most memorable dinners of my life with everyone who had worked with and loved John Ruggie, coming together to cry, laugh and honour an amazing life that has shaped us all.
Because I’m here, I feel the need to honour once again John, here are some of the articles I posted at the time of his death:
In Memory of John G. Ruggie: Tribute by Anna Triponel
The Ruggie principles, with a small p, by Caroline Rees
Three words to capture the way of being of John Ruggie, by Mark Hodge
Life is short. We are in a climate and human rights emergency. We owe it to ourselves and future generations to do everything in our power to shape this situation, since we are the only generation who can. 🌍
And if we lack power, we need to unapologetically create it, as John captured with the concept of ‘leverage.’ 💪🏻💪🏼💪🏽💪🏾💪🏿 But also, let us do so in a way that is kind to ourselves. Because this is a lot for one generation to carry.
Sending you warm wishes from Boston where I’m now on my way to facilitate what I know will be an impactful and necessary conversation on how we accelerate our work on just transition. There is no other route forward. 💫
Anna
